Data storage and retrieval systems exist in many types and styles. There are, in fact, many such systems which are particularly useful for handling and storing data cartridges, such as optical disk or magnetic tape cartridges. Often these systems are used to store data cartridges in particular assigned or changeably selected and recorded locations or positions within the overall system, and to also retrieve desired cartridges on demand so that data may be written to or read therefrom. Some of these data storage and handling systems are often referred to as “juke box” data storage systems, particularly if they include robotics or other types of pick and place mechanisms or a rotisserie or rotating magazine or other sort of automated motion system for moving the cartridges from one location to another for loading any one or more cartridges for storage or use. These systems can each thus accommodate a large number of individual data cartridges.
A typical juke box data storage system may include one or more different types of cartridge related devices for receiving one or more of the various data cartridges. For example, one or more cartridge receiving storage racks or magazines are typical. Also often included is a cartridge read/write device such as a tape or disk drive which may read data from or write or record data to the media in/on the data cartridge. The cartridge storage racks or magazines may provide respective rows of storage locations for the data cartridges and are commonly arranged so that they form one or more horizontal rows. One or more cartridge read/write devices may then be located adjacent the cartridge rows. These types of storage racks (hereafter referred to as magazines) and the read/write devices are adapted to receive the data cartridges for storage or use and may thus be referred to generally as cartridge receiving devices. The data storage system may also be provided with a cartridge access device such as a robotic picker or other pick and place device for accessing one or more of the various data cartridges contained in the cartridge receiving devices and a positioning device for moving the cartridge access device among the cartridge rows, and/or into position adjacent the read/write device.
These cartridge-type data storage systems may be disposed in various alternative arrangements. Single plane systems are available as substantially self-contained units capable of residing on a table-top, or other like location. Such single plane table-top systems may then in some alternative embodiments be adapted to be modified to be dual horizontal plane systems (or even triple plane, quadruple plane or any other reasonable number of planes) by stacking one or more such units upon each other as described generally above. Such systems may then be cooperatively connected together in such a stack or stacks and may be adapted to be structurally secured each to another one or more such systems. It is noted that such modifications may be consumer or factory made and may be temporary or permanent, i.e., special permanent housings for dual, triple, etc. units may be pre-fabricated to create secure, permanent multi-plane systems.
As an alternative, upright cabinets containing one or more shelves, brackets or racks for supporting one or more single (or dual or triple, etc.) plane systems may be provided to create what may be referred to as a rack mount system. In such a system, the otherwise separately definable units or systems may then be “stacked” vertically one above another, but supported in such an arrangement by the rack frame defined in and/or supported by the cabinet. Pass-through robotics or other, pick and place mechanisms may then operate here as well, without however, the relative planar units having to be secured one to another.